Huskies own top spot in STLB Southern California Preseason Poll

1. East Los Angeles (24-6):The Huskies start off the season as our preseason number one team in Southern California. East Los Angeles is loaded and have 11 rosters on their roster for the upcoming season. The Huskies have plenty of experience and should be in the mix of things when it is all said and done as the Huskies will open up against Canyons on Thursday at the Clash at Canyons.

2. Fullerton (21-7):The Hornets start off as the number two team in our Southern California preseason poll as the Orange Empire team is loaded and will make a run at a state championship in our eyes. Fullerton has plenty of talent and the Hornets will open up their season on Friday at home against El Camino.

3. Citrus (27-5): The Owls come in at number three in our preseason poll as the Western State East Conference school seems to be a team that will make a deep post season run for the 2018-2019 season. Citrus will look to have another solid season after winning 27 games last season. The Owls will open up their season on Friday at the San Diego City Tournament as they will face Orange Coast at 1pm.

4. Mt. San Jacinto (14-16): The Eagles open up the season at number four in our Southern California preseason poll and we are expecting a solid season from the Pacific Coast North school. Mt. San Jacinto has some solid pieces that make them a team to watch for the upcoming season and we could see them making a deep post season run. The Eagles open up their 2018-2019 season on Saturday against a talented College of the Sequoias team and follow that up with a game against West Hills-Coalinga on Sunday at the Cuesta Tournament.

5. Allan Hancock (23-10): The Bulldogs round off our top five and Hancock has a lot of experience coming back from a team that made the Elite Eight and won 23 games a year ago. Hancock is our favorites to win the Western State North Conference and we expect the Bulldogs to have a solid 2018-2019 campaign. Hancock will open up their season on Saturday with a home game against West Hills-Lemoore at 3pm.

6. Saddleback (-):The Gauchos start the season off at the six spot and Saddleback has one of the biggest teams in the state. The Gauchos will be a competitive bunch and we expect to see an improvement from a year ago. Saddleback will have this weekend off and the Gauchos will open up their 2018-2019 next Thursday at the Fullerton Tournament against 3rd ranked Citrus at 3pm.

7. San Diego (33-3): The state runner ups come in at number seven in our preseason Southern California poll. San Diego lost a lot of key pieces from a year ago and the Knights have reloaded but could take some lumps early. We expect the Knights to get better as the season moves along but trust me they are still a threat to go deep into the post season for the upcoming season. The Knights will open up their season against Barstow on Friday at 3pm for the home opener.

8. San Bernardino (27-5):The Wolverines are another team like San Diego which lost a lot of pieces from a year ago and San Bernardino has reloaded for the upcoming season. San Bernardino starts in our rankings at number seven as the Pacific Coast North champions from a year ago will open up their season against 13th ranked Copper Mountain on Thursday, face Grossmont on Friday and finish their first weekend of action against 14th ranked West Los Angeles at the College of the Desert Tournament.

9. Southwestern (15-11):The Jaguars are a very experienced team and with that being said we expect them to have a solid 2018-2019 campaign. Southwestern will look to challenge San Diego in the Pacific Coast South Conference part of the season and the Jaguars open up the season at number nine in our poll. The Jaguars will open up their season Thursday against 15th ranked Santa Monica at 6pm at the San Diego Miramar College Tournament.

10. Long Beach (19-12):The Vikings return a lot of experience and Long Beach will be a team to watch out for this season. Long Beach will look to make some noise this season in the South Coast South Conference and look to make a post season run. The Vikings will open up their season on Thursday as Long Beach will face Santa Ana at the Santa Ana Tournament.

11. Riverside (16-11):The Tigers come in at number 11, after winning sixteen games a year ago. Riverside lost a lot of key pieces but the Tigers have put together a solid team for the upcoming season. Last season the Tigers finished in a tie for 3rd place in the toughest conference in the state, this season it will be another dogfight but we should see Riverside in the post season again. The Tigers open their season up this weekend in Ventura as Riverside faces Antelope Valley tomorrow at 3pm. The Tigers follow that up with Los Angeles Valley on Friday and then face off against Pasadena on Saturday to finish off their three game weekend.

12. Cerritos (27-6):The Falcons start off our preseason poll at number twelve but this is a team that we expect to get better as the season moves forward. Cerritos lost plenty of key pieces and the Falcons return two players from last seasons team that made the Final Four. The Falcons will be off this weekend but the 12th ranked team in our poll will open up their season next Wednesday against 15th ranked Santa Monica on the road.

13. Copper Mountain (20-10):The Fighting Cacti are the fourth team from the Orange Empire Conference that we have ranked and Copper Mountain comes in at number thirteen. Last season the first year program made a splash and won twenty games. Copper Mountain will look to build off their success from a year ago but the Fighting Cacti return one player from last season. The Fighting Cacti open their season up on Thursday against 8th ranked San Bernardino, face Victor Valley on Friday and then take on Grossmont at the College of the Desert Tournament in opening weekend action.

14. West Los Angeles (19-10):The Wildcats come into this new season with a lot of experience which will be key this season. On paper the Wildcats are sophomore heavy and were our slim favorites to win the Western State South Conference this upcoming season. The Wildcats will open up the season facing Victor Valley on Thursday, follow that up with Friday game against College of the Desert and end their opening weekend against 8th ranked San Bernardino at the College of the Desert Tournament.

15. Santa Monica (3-22): The Corsairs could be one of the most improved teams in the state for the upcoming season. Santa Monica struggled to three wins last season but head coach Josh Thomas has put together a solid recruiting class that will put them in position to be very competitive this season. Santa Monica will open up the season tomorrow against 9th ranked Southwestern at the San Diego Miramar Tournament.